Bengals' Dalton needs to eliminate turnovers against Ravens

Saturday

Dec 31, 2011 at 12:01 AMDec 31, 2011 at 10:09 AM

CINCINNATI - Most rookie quarterbacks are asked to make sure they don't turn the ball over. Andy Dalton has proven throughout this season that he is more than just a game manager for the Cincinnati Bengals.

CINCINNATI — Most rookie quarterbacks are asked to make sure they don’t turn the ball over. Andy Dalton has proven throughout this season that he is more than just a game manager for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Dalton gets a chance on Sunday to prove he can lead his team to the playoffs against one of the NFL’s toughest defenses.

A win against the Baltimore Ravens would clinch the AFC’s sixth and final playoff spot and send the Bengals to Houston to face the Texans next weekend.

To get that win, Dalton and the Bengals are going to have to overcome a Baltimore defense that sacked him twice, intercepted him three times and held the Bengals on downs after a first-and-goal at the Ravens’ 7-yard line with one minute remaining to preserve a 31-24 victory on Nov. 20 at M&T Bank Stadium.

“Getting to go against them again, you kind of understand how they play,” Dalton said. “We turned the ball over too many times last time and we lost. That’s definitely going to be a focus for us this time.”

Baltimore is ranked third in the NFL in yards allowed and points allowed. Sunday will be the 10th game the Bengals have played against teams currently ranked in the top 10 of yards allowed and their 11th game against teams ranked in the top 10 in points allowed. They are 4-5 in the games against the yardage leaders and 5-5 against the top scoring defenses.

Since the Ravens game six weeks ago, Dalton has thrown just one interception. The Bengals are 6-3 this season when Dalton throws more touchdowns than interceptions.

“Turnovers usually decide the game, and I turned the ball over too many times,” Dalton said. “I have to look back at how I’ve been playing and correct those things. It’s just being smarter with the football.”

Dalton’s first interception in that game came in the end zone as he was looking for Andre Caldwell late in the second quarter. Safety Ed Reed read the play and made his ninth career interception against Cincinnati.

The Ravens turned Dalton’s second and third interceptions into one-play touchdown drives. The turnovers came on consecutive possessions to end the third quarter and begin the fourth and turned a 17-14 Baltimore advantage into a 31-14 lead.

Dalton had a season-high 373 yards and 45 pass attempts in that game. He completed 10 of 17 passes for 185 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the fourth quarter as the Bengals tried to rally. He finished the game with 24 completions.

Dalton responded to his third interception by completing all five of his passes for 95 yards on the Bengals’ next possession, including a 49-yard touchdown pass to Caldwell to cut the deficit to 10 points with 11 minutes left to play.

“He’s playing with a ton of confidence,” Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano said. “He knows what to do with the ball. He gets it out fast. He’s got savvy. He’ll stand in there. He’s tough as nails. He can extend plays with his feet. I think he’s done a great job, and obviously, was recognized by everybody else around the league.”

Dalton has at least one touchdown pass in 13 of 15 games this season, and his 20 touchdown passes are, along with the Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton, tops among rookies this season. Dalton and Newton are the just the fourth and fifth rookies to throw as many as 20 touchdowns in a season.

Baltimore is sure to give Dalton new looks compared to the first game. It was a lesson Dalton learned from his two experiences against Pittsburgh; he said after a 35-7 loss at Heinz Field on Dec. 4 that the Steelers brought looks they hadn’t shown previously and that he failed to pick up on them quickly enough.

“He learns every time he steps out on the football field,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “That’s one positive part of his makeup. You know, they’ve got to beat us, too.”

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